Surname Information

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Since my last name is Rys, I have done some research into the origin of the surname Rys.  My grandfather Jan Rys came from the village Toporzysko, Poland, which I visited in September of the year 2000.

If you currently have the surname RYS, it is generally not a shortened version of a longer Polish name.  From what I have seen, RYS can be either Polish or Czech or Slovakian.  RYSS may be Scandinavian in origin.  RHYS is usually Welsh in origin.

Rys, as a Polish name, usually is written with a diacritical pronunciation mark above the s (pronounced Rrrissh) and it means lynx (a form of wildcat).  Since older U.S. typewriters and current U.S. keyboards do not have an easy capability to add Polish diacritical pronunciation marks to letters, the name appears as just Rys.  In Poland, computer keyboards add the diacritical pronunciation marks.  WINDOWS has a keyboard option to change the keyboard language to Polish.  

SOURCE OF POLISH SURNAME INFORMATION:   

The best source of information on surnames, such as Rys, is a book called "Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings".  The 2nd edition (1998) by William Hoffman is published and available from the Publications Section of the Polish Genealogical Society of America in Chicago.  I will quote some from his book.  He uses common surname roots for the arrangement of his book.

In general, Polish names consist of a root and suffix or suffixes.  As the population grew, the need to distinguish people from each other led to the use of suffixes attached to the root name.  In some cases suffixes were added to other suffixes.  Different suffixes point to regional variations

Using Rys as an example, Rys is a Polish surname root as defined in Hoffman’s book.  A patronymic suffix such as "iewicz" or "owski" means "son of" so Rysiewicz or Rysowski means "son of Rys".  Also "owna" and "ewna" can mean "daughter of".  So Rys is the root name and the variations with suffixes are more than likely derived from Rys. 

  FREQUENCY OF USE

Frequency of Surname Usage in Poland: Hoffman’s book gives the frequency of use (in parenthesis) for most surnames in Poland taken from a 1990 national Polish directory of names.   The name of the directory is Slownik Nazwisk wspotczzesnie w Polsce uzywanych.

Rys, without the diacritical mark found (used 251 times in Poland)

Rys, with diacritical mark over the s found (used 5,587 times in Poland)

Other suffix variations of the root name Rys found in Poland in 1990 are: Rysak (found in Poland 433 times), Rysiak (found 332), Rysiewicz (found 247), Rysiewski (found 208), Rysinski (found 330), Ryski (found 238), Rysz (found 640), Ryszczuk (found 259), Ryszkowski (found 1,177), Ryszkiewicz (found 790).

Also of general interest about Polish names: The suffix "ski", can mean "from" in a geographic sense.  John Tarnowski can mean John "from" the city Tarnow.  You will also notice that Polish women do not have the exact same name as Polish men because the ending denotes gender.  Male is "ski" and female is "ska".  John Tarnowski has a daughter but she is named Sophia Tarnowska.  Wanda Landowska is a famous Polish harpsichordist, but her father’s name probably was Landowski.

DICTIONARY INFORMATION:   

The Word RYS in Dictionaries

The Polish-English Dictionary by Iwo Cyprian Pognowski revised and dated 1993, published by Hippocrene Press indicates rys means a feature or trait.  When the s on rys has a diacritical pronunciation mark, then it means lynx.

The Polish Dictionary by Aleksander Chodzko dated 1929 (Warsaw) defines the word RYS as: 1) a dash or stroke of a pen, 2) a rough draft, sketch, or outline, 3) features or lineaments of the face.  If there is a diacritical pronunciation mark over the s in rys, then the meaning is lynx. 

NOTE: When I search the Internet for "rys", I get many hits on the phrase "rys historyczny"" meaning "historical outline". 

OTHER USES OF THE SURNAME RYS:  

The name Rys, since one of the meanings is "lynx" which is a wild cat (Zbik is a specific Polish word for wild cat), apparently has been used in Poland to name places and things. 

MT. RYSY:   Spytkowice and Jordanow are in the foothills of the Tatra Mountains.  The highest peak in the Polish Tatry Mountains is Mt. Rysy.  It is 2494 meters high or approximately 8,100 feet high.  It may be speculated that the literal interpretation is "Mountain of the Lynx".
CLICK ON MT. RYSY for a view.  

I am looking for further accurate information on the history and derivation of the name of Mount RYSY.

SUBMARINE RYS:  The first Polish submarine was purchased from France in about 1931.  Its name was RYS and it was a mine laying submarine of the French Saphir class.  In 1939 after a battle with German vessels, it was interned at Stavans, Sweden.  It was "stricken" in 1954.  
CLICK SUBMARINE for more information and a photograph.

HOVERCRAFT RYS: Currently Almaz Shipbuilding Company, from St. Petersburg, Russia is marketing an amphibious hovercraft called the "Rys". 

RYS LOCOMOTIVE: At one time, there was a type of industrial steam locomotive, narrow gauge, called the 040T RYS manufactured by Fablok Chrzanow.

MEANINGS OF FAMILY SURNAMES:

Listed alphabetically in the chart below are the surnames from my family tree giving their meaning and an idea of their current frequency of use in Poland in 1990.

OTHER SURNAME WEBSITES: 

For an interesting discussion from the PolishRoots website on "What does my surname mean" Click Surnames.  Use the back button to return to this website.

Also from the PolishRoots website see a "Basic explanation of Polish surname endings" Click Surname Endings.  Use the back button to return to this website.

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